


Not Worth Dying For

by Mistress_of_Squirrels



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Language, M/M, Violence, implied slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-17 13:49:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8146337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistress_of_Squirrels/pseuds/Mistress_of_Squirrels
Summary: “Aint nothin’ personal…It’s just you or me.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Raiven_Raine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raiven_Raine/gifts).



> This is the September entry for likegoodangel's image prompt contest on tumblr
> 
> Gifted to Raiven_Raine for getting me through an awful bout of writer's block, and encouraging me to enter the contest. You are awesome and I love you! 
> 
> Also tons of credit to Nebulad. The idea for this fic came from a discussion we had on what Colter and Gage's relationship would have been like.

Gage had come up with a lot of plans over the years, but none as ambitious as Nuka World. In the beginning, he hadn’t been sure it would work. Hell, it’d sounded downright crazy when he laid it all out for Colter. The Disciples, the Operators, and the Pack weren’t real fond of one another. Getting the three gangs to work together had been no mean feat, but if experience had taught him anything about raiders, it was that greed always won ‘em over in the end. Seemed like even the most bitter rivalries could be set aside for the promise of territory, caps, and blood, and if that wasn’t enough to convince everyone to play nice, well, that’s why he’d brought Colter in.

Still hadn’t been easy, but somehow, it’d been enough.

“It’s ours, Gage.” Colter shot him a triumphant grin before turning his gaze back toward the park.

“Sure is, boss,” Gage agreed, with a casualness he didn’t feel. Part of him was elated they’d actually pulled it off. Another still couldn’t quite believe it, even though the proof was right in front of his eyes.

Colter let out a low chuckle, one corner of his mouth quirked in a leer. “Boss, eh? I’m likin’ the sound of that more and more. Especially comin’ from you.”

Gage smirked, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. “Figured it would grow on you.”

Colter was a ruthless bastard, but it took some convincing to get him to take over. It wasn’t that he objected to being in charge exactly, just that he hadn’t wanted the hassle of dealing with those particular gangs, and really, Gage couldn’t blame him there. But they’d needed a neutral party, someone that could get everyone behind him and wouldn’t put up with any shit the gang leaders might pull. Colter fit that role perfectly, so Gage talked the idea up until he finally agreed.

_C’mon, man, think about it. The place is damn near impenetrable. With the gangs at your back, just imagine what you could do. All that potential…you ask me, it’s just goin’ to waste in the hands of traders._

And now, now was the moment it all came together.

All the hours of planning, all the work he’d put in was finally paying off, and Gage couldn’t have been more proud. Of himself, of Colter, of everything they were building. No more shithole camps, no more gangs tearin’ themselves apart from the inside, no more fighting for scraps. The whole fuckin’ world was theirs; it was just a matter of time.

The two men watched in silence as a couple Disciples snapped shock collars on a line of traders. When the fighting went down, they’d all huddled in the market like cowards, expecting their mercs to handle it. They were probably regretting that now, but at least it made rounding ‘em all up easier.

There was a commotion behind them and Gage stiffened as he heard a woman drawl, “Well, look what we have here.”

He didn’t even have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to, and it wouldn’t have done him much good anyway. Like all the Disciples, Dixie was masked as she sauntered over to stand in front of the traders.

“Such sweet little lambs,” the woman cooed. She toyed with a homemade knife, her fingers trailing slowly along the blade in a disturbing caress. Only half her mouth was visible beneath the metal of her mask, but her smile was wide enough to show the gleam of her teeth as she gestured toward the traders with her knife. “All lined up and ready to be led to the slaughter. Whaddya say, girls? Any of ‘em catch your eye?”

Killing was one thing, but the Disciples took it to a whole ‘nother level. The only one more sadistic than their leader, Nisha, was her lieutenant. It took a lot to rattle him, but those gals made Gage’s skin crawl. Dixie was fuckin’ crazy, no question. Nisha, not so much. Somehow, that was worse.

“Uh, boss?” he asked, pitching his voice so it wouldn’t carry. “You really think it’s smart to let them go butcherin’ the help?

Normally, Gage wouldn’t concern himself with what they got up to - better to keep them entertained than have them starting shit with the other gangs - but the traders were supposed to be taking care of all the crap jobs the rest of them couldn’t be bothered with. They weren’t gonna be fit for more than a hole in the ground by the time Dixie got done with ‘em. It just didn’t make sense to go cutting people up right from the start.

“They’ve earned their fun,” Colter laughed, slapping him on the back. “Let ‘em have it. Plenty more sheep where those came from.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Still seemed like a bad idea to him, but it was Colter’s show now; that was the deal. Besides, the boss had a point. There’d always be more traders, especially once they got the rest of the parks cleared. Hell, maybe it would even keep the ones already here from getting any dumb ideas. They’d never have got this far without the Disciples anyway, and he couldn’t really hold it against them if they wanted payback for the people they’d lost.

Come to think of it, a few days of downtime for all the gangs probably wouldn’t hurt. Give the wounded time to heal up, and the leaders time to get their crews settled. Once everyone was patched up and rested, him and Colter could talk about the next step.

They left the market while Dixie and the Disciples were still trying to figure out who they wanted to play with. Gage almost felt sorry for the poor bastard that ended up with them. Almost. Wasn’t his fault they were too fuckin’ stupid to fight while they had the chance.

While the gangs sorted out turf in Nuka Town, Colter chose an old restaurant at the top of Fizztop Mountain for his own quarters. Good choice, in Gage’s opinion. He could do without the stupid theme - what the hell was so great about soda, anyway?- but it was perfect for the overboss. Plenty of space and the power still worked. Hell, the traders had even rigged up running water to a couple of the sinks. More than that, it sent a message to the rest of them, what with Colter being literally above them and all. That kind of shit was important. Raiders weren’t typically the brightest bunch; subtlety was just wasted on them.

Gage leaned against the railing of the elevator as he lit a cigarette, his good eye sweeping over the park. Smoke drifted around his head in thick clouds while his thoughts wandered to what came next. He didn’t know much about the place beyond Nuka Town. Might be a good idea to talk to some of the traders and find out what they were up against before he went making plans to move farther in. He could do that tomorrow, then set up another meeting between Colter and the other bosses-

The scuff of footsteps behind him jerked Gage out of his head and back to the present. He turned around to see Colter watching him, thin lips curved in a grin, and let himself relax. He trusted Colter as much as he ever trusted anyone - which was to say, not much - but he _believed_ in him, and by now, he was reasonably sure the boss wasn’t gonna stick a knife in his back.

“Need something, boss?” he asked, taking one last drag from his cigarette and flicking the remains over the rail. Anyone below was gonna learn to dodge real fuckin’ quick.

Colter shook his head slowly, amusement in his dark eyes. “You never quit, do you?” Gage’s brow dipped in confusion and Colter laughed. “For fuck’s sake, Gage. I can hear you thinking from here.” He moved closer and laid a hand against the back of the smaller man’s neck, fingers lightly kneading the tense muscles. “Helluva view, ain’t it? And all of it belongs to us.”

_Not all of it. Not yet._

“Yeah, boss.” Gage answered with a nod, trying to ignore the heat stirring in his belly. “It’s somethin’, alright. And we’ve done real good gettin’ here. But-”

“We’ll get to it,” Colter interrupted. He dipped his head and nipped at Gage’s ear. “Take the night off, yeah? _Celebrate_.”

Gage wavered. There was still so much to do, but Colter could be damn convincing when he had a mind. And…maybe he had a point. Wasn’t like he was actually going to get anything done right now anyway, and taking Nuka Town was something worth celebrating.

“Yeah, alright. What’d you have in mind?”

Colter gave one last squeeze and then slid his hand up to cup Gage’s jaw, tilting his head so he could kiss him. Well, when he put it like that…

_One night wouldn’t hurt._

The next week or so was spent cleaning up Nuka Town from the fight. The gangs set up their bases while the traders were put to work clearing out the dead. Colter…Colter was settling in. Decorating, or some shit. Gage glanced down at the list of furniture the boss had requested and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Only made sense that the boss had better digs than the rest of ‘em. He just needed to give him time to set up, was all.

But then, one week turned into two. At three, Nisha and Mags both sent someone to come talk to him. They were ready to move; just waiting on word from the boss. Problem was, the boss wasn’t willing to hear it. Kept saying he’d get to it, but there was always something else that took priority. Colter kept him busy with all sorts of stupid little jobs, and in the meantime, Gage did his best to keep the gangs occupied with the same. Wasn’t gonna last forever - he knew that - but he hoped it would get them past whatever slump Colter had fallen into. The boss just had to get the feel of things. This could still work.

Another month went by with no change. Gage tried talking with Colter, but he was getting harder and harder to track down. The gangs were getting antsy, and Gage was getting a little worried himself. Sitting around on their asses wasn’t what they signed up for, and everyone but Colter was getting real tired of it. There’d been an argument in the market earlier that morning. He still didn’t know what started it, and it didn’t matter. Tension was rising, and the next time shit got stirred up, it might end in more than heated words and dirty looks.

Him and Colter needed to figure this out, and he wasn’t gonna let the boss blow him off this time. He wasn’t in his quarters when Gage dropped by, so he settled in to wait, confident the other man would show up eventually. An hour in, and he was pacing the length of the patio as he wracked his brain for ways to get a handle on the situation before it got out of their control. Two hours later, Colter finally stumbled out of the elevator, bleary-eyed and smelling like a still.

As he took in the boss’s state, Gage’s mouth dropped open in surprise before he caught himself and snapped it shut in a tight line of disappointment. He never had been much for drinking or chems.That shit made people stupid, and stupid was a good way to wind up dead. Colter didn’t have quite the same opinion, but he had a level of self control most raiders lacked. Until recently, anyway. Gage really hoped this wasn’t gonna become a pattern with him. The boss couldn’t afford to let his guard down, ‘specially not with the way things had been going.

Colter staggered over to him and flung an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders as he tried to press a sloppy kiss against the side of his throat. “Gage,” he slurred. “Come to see me, love?”

“Aw, come on, man,” Gage snapped, shrugging Colter’s arm off. Heat suffused his face, a mix of anger and embarrassment, and the sensitive skin of his neck burned where Colter’s stubble had scraped.

Colter lost his balance, and with the mood he was in, Gage would have let the fucker fall, but he managed to catch himself, barely, on the back of a couch. He laughed as he leaned against the sagging frame for support, slowly making his way around to the front. The ancient springs creaked in protest as Colter sat down heavily on the ripped cushions. He squinted up at Gage and grinned. “Playin’ hard to get, eh? That’s new.”

“Enough with this shit.” Gage watched him sprawl out across the couch and make himself comfortable. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, that stupid fuckin’ smirk still plastered over his face, and Gage shook his head in disgust. “The fuck’s wrong with you?” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Colter, man, you need to pull it together. You keep goin’ like this, ain’t no one gonna follow you.”

The boss was too far gone to form a reply, and after another few minutes went by, Gage realized he’d passed out. He drew in a deep breath through his nose, hands curled into tight fists at his sides as he fought back the urge to hit something. They weren’t gonna get anywhere tonight, whether Colter was awake or not. Might as well just let him sleep it off.

He ought to find his own bed, but Gage was too wired to sleep anytime soon, and it didn’t feel right leaving the boss on his own - not with some of the grumbling he’d been hearing. No one had the balls to say any of it to Colter’s face, of course, but if he kept carrying on like this, that wasn’t gonna last long. And why should it? The boss wasn’t nothin’ to be afraid of like this. Hell, the state he was in, the bastard probably couldn’t find his own ass if he used both hands.

Gage scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. He needed to clear his head and come up with a plan. It wasn’t ideal, but really, all he needed was Colter to sign off on it. The gangs could handle the rest, and with any luck, they’d be too caught up in the idea of expanding to notice if the boss decided not to show. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but he hadn’t got this far in life by being unprepared. Snatching a park map off a nearby table, Gage found an empty seat and got to work.

The first sliver of the sun was just above the horizon when he tossed the map aside and decided to call it quits. Based on what he’d been able to get from the traders, Gage had a tentative idea of which zone they should clear first, but none of that meant a damn thing if he couldn’t get Colter on board. A glance toward the couch showed him that the boss was still out, his neck bent at an awkward angle he was sure to regret later.

 _Serves the fucker right_ , he thought, without real heat. His anger had cooled during the night, and all he cared about now was getting things back on track.

On his way out, he stopped at the terminal he’d set up for Colter. Hadn’t done much good in reaching him, but at least the boss was still reading the messages he left. It was an encouraging sign, and he’d take what he could get.

Gage grabbed a chair and typed up another quick note. He doubted Colter would remember much of the night before, but just in case, he wanted to smooth things over.

_Colter,_

_I said some shit last night that was out of line, and I’m sorry for that. I just hate seeing you on the same level as the rest of these assholes around here. We both know you’re better than that._

_Look, man. We really do need to talk. I’ve been hearing shit, and none of it’s good. The gangs are getting real impatient, boss._

_Mason’s too much of a coward to make a move on his own, and if he tries, we’ll see it coming. Guy’s too stupid for games. Mags and William are more likely to scheme, but I think they’ll wait and see where things are heading before they try anything. The real concern here is Nisha. She’s fucking trouble, boss, and a bunch of psychopaths with nothing to keep them busy is the last thing we need._

_Talk to me. Seriously. And delete this as soon as you read it. You don’t want anyone knowing you’re on to them just yet._

When he was through, Gage checked to make sure the little light that signaled new messages was flashing and headed into Nuka Town. He wanted to give Colter time to think this shit through, and if the boss was finally ready to sit down and discuss the situation, he needed to know what to tell him. It was time to call in a few favors with his contacts.

Gage spent the next couple days coming up with ways to keep the gangs busy. He sent scouting parties to the areas surrounding the park, and put together teams for scavenging whatever resources they could haul back. He put the traders to work fixing up any structural damage he came across, and he even met with Mason after the Pack alpha talked about wanting to bring in some of those fucked up mutant animals from the Safari zone for his ‘zoo’. Anything that kept the gangs from ripping each other to shreds and then turning on _him_ was worth trying.

Finally, three days after he’d left the message on the boss’s terminal, Colter sent word that he wanted to talk. He met with him as soon as he was able, and for the first time in months, Gage had hope that they could go back to the way things were in the beginning. Colter actually wanted to hear what he had to say for once, and the boss was really listening again, taking him seriously, like when it had just been the two of them. Wasn’t anyone else around he could talk to like that, and fuck…he’d _missed_ it.

The whole meeting went better than Gage had dared to expect, and ended with him bent over the bar, Colter pressed against his back, his nails digging into his hip while he panted in his ear. He wasn’t too proud to admit he’d missed that, too, and Gage left the Grille feeling better than he had in weeks. The boss was back, and everything was gonna be just fine.

Only, it wasn’t.

Oh, Colter stuck to the plan at first. He got everyone together and let ‘em know he was ready to move on taking the rest of the park. The gangs were eager to get blood and caps flowing in Nuka World, and Gage was just happy that Colter was finally acting like a proper Overboss. For the next month or so, shit was good. Real good. But it didn’t last.

The boss had a real talent for getting people fired up, but that could only go so far. When it came down to putting words into action, Colter always had some kind of excuse. He wanted a better idea of what they were getting into, or they needed more time to prepare. After a few weeks of that, he didn’t even bother to pretend anymore. The parks weren’t going anywhere after all, and they had a decent set up right here in Nuka Town. He wasn’t wrong, but ‘decent’ wasn’t what anyone signed up for, or even half of what Colter had promised to get them there.

It was past time he started making good on those promises. Gage ran out of shit to keep the gangs occupied, and without anything to do, they were at each other’s throats. The alliance he’d worked so hard for was nothing but a joke now. People went missing, bodies turned up. Anyone with half a brain knew what was going on, but even if there would have been a way to prove it, Colter just didn’t care.

Things were bad and only getting worse. Everyone was still too afraid to act against Colter, but from the looks Gage was getting, they’d have no problem using him as a stand in. The boss wasn’t even reading his messages anymore, and it seemed like he was actively avoiding him now. Gage finally got fed up with it all when he heard about some new project Colter had the Disciples working on. All he knew about the Gauntlet was that it had fuck all to do with the plan.

Six months. Six fucking months of nothing but empty promises. Both their asses were on the line here, and Colter was just pissing around building toys. The Disciples seemed happy with the distraction, but Gage knew it was only temporary; they were just about out of time.

It was damn near impossible to find the boss these days, but Gage was nothing if not persistent, and after all the shit he’d put up with to keep things running around here, he was gonna have his say, whether Colter wanted to hear it or not.

He found the boss in the Cola Cars building they’d turned into an arena, messing around with a suit of power armor. Seemed like that damn armor was all Colter cared about lately, ever since that fuckin’ scavver dragged it in. If he’d known it was just gonna give the boss another reason to fuck around and not get anything done, he’d have cut that little shit’s throat before he ever made it back to Nuka Town.

“Got some shit we need to discuss, Colter, and it can’t wait. Not anymore.”

Colter didn’t even look up from what he was doing, just shrugged like he was annoyed at the interruption. “What is it now?”

Gage stared wide-eyed in disbelief. “Are you serious? It’s the same shit it’s always been! We can’t keep going like this, man. The gangs are fed up.”

The boss laughed and shook his head. “Quit being dramatic, Gage. We’ve got a good thing here. The gauntlet -”

“Ain’t workin’,” Gage cut in. “Since you can’t seem to wrap your fuckin’ head around that, lemme lay it out for you, real simple: they’re bored, man. Even Nisha’s crew is losin’ interest. There’s only so many times you can watch another dumb waster walk into the same traps before it gets old.”

A muscle jumped in Colter’s jaw and his mouth tightened in a hard line as he met Gage’s eye. “It was your idea to keep the Disciples busy.”

“Yeah, by taking control of the rest of the park, like we planned! Spendin’ all your time in here pissin’ around with power armor ain’t getting us nowhere. You need to pull your head out of your ass and make some changes around here before the gangs turn on you.”

“I’m the overboss,” Colter snorted, tossing a screwdriver aside and straightening to his full height. “They wouldn’t dare.”

“You want the title? Fuckin’ act like one!”

Half a year of watching him sit around on his ass had let Gage forget just how fast the other man could be. Before he knew what hit him, Colter had him pinned against the wall, one large hand wrapped around his throat in warning. His eyes were glazed and red-rimmed as he brought his face close to Gage’s - probably blitzed again - and growled, “Seems like you forgot who’s in charge around here.” His fingers tightened in an unspoken threat, the pressure just enough to make swallowing difficult. “I call the shots. Mags, Nisha, and Mason will do what they’re told. Best you do the same, yeah?”

The words hit Gage like physical blows. Colter could be a dick at times, no question, but this wasn’t how it was supposed to be between them. They’d been through too much shit together, earned each other’s respect over the years. Him and Colter…he didn’t know what to call it, but whatever it was…whatever they’d had was supposed to be more.

“…You call the shots. Got it, boss.”

“Good.” Colter released him and went back to his tinkering. “I don’t want to hear any more shit about the gangs. The know their place.”

Gage shrugged, but the gesture was a waste; Colter wasn’t even paying attention. “Just gettin’ jumpy, I guess. You’re right, though - they know better than to cross you.”

_Don’t fuckin’ count on it._

Colter waved a hand at him in clear dismissal and Gage had to bite the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood to keep from running his mouth. He jerked a nod, knowing damn well the boss wouldn’t see it, and stalked out of the arena. He wandered Nuka Town for a while, trying to avoid the inevitable return to the Grille, but eventually he was gonna have to face the fact that there wasn’t anywhere else to go.

The gangs had snatched up every bit of free space available, territorial as mongrels defending scraps. He didn’t know where Colter stayed anymore, but at least he probably didn’t have to worry about running into him back at Fizztop. The boss hadn’t stayed in his quarters for over a week now.

It was late when decided to turn in, and Gage was dreading the idea of being alone with his thoughts. He stripped down to his jeans and grabbed a beer from Colter’s stash because just the thought of that syrupy soda shit turned his stomach, and really, what the fuck did it matter?

This whole operation had been his idea in the first place, and all he had to show for it was a corner with a grimy mattress and a park full of raiders that wanted his fuckin’ head on a stick. He sat on the bed with a sigh and leaned his back against the wall as he tried to figure out where it all went to shit.

Somewhere, he’d lost all control of the situation. Gage huffed a humorless laugh. Maybe he’d never had control in the first place and was just too stupid to realize it. He’d been dumb enough to think Colter had it in him to be overboss, after all.

No, that was bullshit. Colter _had_ been the right man. He’d just let it all go to his head. Decided to settle once he had what he wanted and just forget about everyone that got him there. He might have been the one to rally the gangs, but without Gage, they’d have never given him the time of day in the first place. Colter might have forgotten that, but Nisha, Mason, and Mags sure as hell weren’t going to.

Whether the man had changed, or he’d just missed what was there all along didn’t matter. Putting him in charge was still a mistake, and Gage could admit that. This could still work though, he believed that with everything in him. He just needed to fix where it went wrong.

Drawing one knee up, Gage absently picked at the faded label of the beer bottle he still held between his splayed legs. There had to be a way out of this mess - preferably one that left his head firmly atop his shoulders where it ought to be. He’d managed to keep all his limbs attached so far by arranging another meeting, but his luck was gonna run out real soon. Especially since he was almost certain Colter wasn’t even gonna show.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and then let it fall limp in his lap as the truth washed over him. There was only one option: Colter had to go.

The realization stung more than it should have. Gage would be lying if he said the boss didn’t have it coming. Hell, with everything he’d pulled, Colter was lucky he’d made it this long. But the thought of turning against him put his stomach in knots.

In a burst of anger, Gage leaned forward and threw the beer bottle as hard as he could. It sailed across the room and smashed into the opposite wall in a shower of glass and amber droplets. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. It had to be done. Colter was dead regardless; the only difference was whether or not he took Gage with him. Not gonna happen, if he had any say in it.

No one was worth dying for.


End file.
